Good-bye, Public Life — Alec Baldwin, photographed by Steve Schofield. — As told to Joe Hagan. — I flew to Hawaii recently to shoot a film, fresh on the heels of being labeled a homophobic bigot by Andrew Sullivan, Anderson Cooper, and others in the Gay Department of Justice.

Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before the World War II buildup and eliminate an entire class of Air Force attack jets in a new spending proposal …

Hagel calls for shrinking Army to pre-WWII size — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Monday for shrinking the U.S. Army to its smallest size in decades, along with other cuts, drawing criticism that the drastic changes will hurt U.S. security. — Hagel announced his Pentagon budget priorities Monday afternoon.

Piers Morgan and CNN Plan End to His Prime-Time Show — There have been times when the CNN host Piers Morgan didn't seem to like America very much — and American audiences have been more than willing to return the favor. Three years after taking over for Larry King, Mr. Morgan has seen the ratings for …

UT/TT Poll: Abbott Holds 11-Point Lead Over Davis … UT/TT Poll, February 2014: Summary UT/TT Poll, February 2014: Methodology — After what are shaping up to be easy primary wins in March for the leading gubernatorial candidates, Republican Greg Abbott starts the general election race …

Samantha Power Dives Deep...Into Incoherence — Yesterday U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power delivered the Daniel Pearl Lecture at UCLA and met with Pearl's parents. Afterward, she unburdened herself of this tweet: … I saw this on Twitter late last night and pondered it for a while.

Health Care Horror Hooey — Remember the “death tax”? The estate tax is quite literally a millionaire's tax — a tax that affects only a tiny minority of the population, and is mostly paid by a handful of very wealthy heirs. Nonetheless, right-wingers have successfully convinced many voters …

Fewer Americans Think Obama Respected on World Stage — Slim majority still think world views U.S. favorably — PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time, more Americans think President Barack Obama is not respected by other world leaders than believe he is. Americans' opinions have shifted dramatically …

Pierce wants Brewer to veto denial of service bill — Arizona Sen. Steve Pierce of Prescott is joining several gubernatorial candidates in calling for Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a controversial piece of legislation that would allow business owners to refuse to serve gays by citing their religious beliefs.

Enough with the Gay Mania — It's one thing to be tolerant of what once were known as “alternative lifestyles.” It's another thing to be asked to celebrate them, as the exuberant mythologizers of Michael Sam and Johnny Weir ask us to do. And it is way beyond the pale to hold forth …

Spy Chief James Clapper: We Can't Stop Another Snowden — President Obama's Director of National Intelligence spent his life protecting secrets. Then came the biggest leak of all. — Every morning at around 4:30 a.m., James Clapper wakes up and prepares for the worst job in Washington.

Is the Jebbie Bandwagon Gearing Up? — On CNN's Inside Politics yesterday, John King allowed as how he's hearing Jeb Bush is letting his money people know he has not ruled out a 2016 presidential campaign, in case they are approached by other potential candidates.

Obama lauds nation's ‘practical’ govs — President Barack Obama on Monday again held up governors as examples of pragmatic public servants who aren't quite as self-interestedly political as those representing their states in Congress. — “You want to do right by your people …

Does Hillary-Univision deal cross a line? Column — One wonders whether a TV network should partner with a possible presidential candidate. — Imagine if a major television network entered into a partnership with a presidential nominee, and promoted that candidate across their media platforms.